Hello. I am a 42 year old HIV+ male for about 2 years. During that time I have been taking the study drug GW433908, along with Lamivudine & Abacavir. My viral load is undetectable & my cd4 stays in the area of 385 or a little higher. I had a swollen saliva gland under my right jaw prior to taking my meds, then it went away. About 9 months ago I got a very bad cold (or flu) & the right side of my face swelled up as well as the saliva gland again. The face swelling went down (w/aspirin), but the neck gland has stayed swollen. It hasn't gotten larger or smaller, just stays the same & usually bothers me when I shave. My doctor has monitored this every three months during visits. I told him I was getting a root canal soon & he suggested that the dentist have a look at this condition. There doesn't appear to be swelling anywhere else. Is this common?

Response from Dr. Henry

It is not uncommon for patients to have localized node swelling come and go. There are variations is the drainage through lymph nodes and how the lymph system may respond to local irritations. Having a dentist or ENT doc evaluate clinically is a very reasonable suggestion. KH

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